Control strip holder

ABSTRACT

A holder for a control strip of film to be fed to a film processor includes a body portion in which the control strip is placed in a dark room and a cover that cooperates with the body portion to insure exclusion of light from the portions of the control strip located within the body portion. The end portions of the control strip project from opposite ends of the holder to permit splicing of the control strip to other film strips or leaders. One end of the holder is in the shape of a conventional film cartridge to facilitate feeding the control strip to a processor that is adapted to receive such cartridges and process film the processor removes from such cartridges.

United States Patent [1 1 Negus Aug. 7, 1973 CONTROL STRIP HOLDER Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr.

[] Inventor: George T. Negus, Rochester. N.Y. 2:13 Klme and Herman [73] Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company, fess Rochester. NY.

Filed: Apr. 26, 1971 Appl. No.: 137,347

Related US. Application Data and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 820,379, April 30, 1969, abandoned.

US. Cl. 206/1 R, 95/31 R, 206/DIG. 36, 95/90 Int. Cl 865d /67 Field of Search 206/1 R, 52 F, 16 R, 206/DIG. 36; 95/31 R,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Goldhammer /31 R [57] ABSTRACT A holder for a control strip of film to be fed to a film processor includes a body portion in which the control strip is placed in a dark room and a cover that cooperates with the body portion to insure exclusion of light from the portions of the control strip located within the body portion. The end portions of the control strip project from opposite ends of the holder to permit splicing of the control strip to other film strips or leaders. One end of the holder is in the shape of a conventional film cartridge to facilitate feeding the control strip to a processor that is adapted to receive such cartridges and process film the processor removes from such cartridges.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CONTROL STRIP HOLDER CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Reference is made to the commonly assigned copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 126,979, entitled FILM PROCESSING APPARATUS filed Mar. 22, 1971, such being a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Pat. application Ser. NO. 820,379, filed on Apr. 30, 1969 in the names of P. T. Cumbo et al. (now abandoned).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION control strip of film to a film processor for checking the operation of the processor. A plurality of such-control strips are customarily furnished from the supplier in large rolls (for example I00 foot rolls). In a dark room, one of the control strips is separated from the roll and spliced onto a customer's roll of film that is to be fed to the processor. The resulting film roll (including the control strip) is then run through the processor. After processing, the control strip is checked against a standard to determine if the processor is processing film satisfactorily. In practice, a control strip may be about- 15 inches long. The strip may be exposed to an eleven step tablet varying from a maximum density to a minimum density, and densitometric readings determine the quality of the processing operation. Attachment of the control strip to customers rolls of films must be performed in a dark room in order to avoid any possible damage to the control strip and to the customer's rolls of film.

In the beforementioned copending patent application, a film processor is disclosed which is adapted to receive conventional film cartridges of the type commonly referred to as super 8 film cartridges, such cartridges being disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,686, issued Sept. 28, 1965 in the name of EA. Edwards et al. One of the advantages of the film processor disclosed in such copending application is that it is adapted to receive such super 8 cartridges and to unload film'from them without locating the processor in a dark room. While this offers many advantages, it presents a need for suitable means for furnishing a control strip to the processor periodically without first darkening theroom inwhich the processor is located. The holder of the present invention satisfies this need, and does so without requiring modification of the film processor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 7 It is an object of this invention to provide a holder for a control strip of film to be fed to a processor and, more particularly, to provide such a holder which can feed film to the processor under daylight conditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control strip holder suitable for use with a processor adapted to receive standard film cartridges (such as the processor disclosed in the beforementioned copending application) wherein the processor does not need to be modified to accept the control strip holder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control strip holder for furnishing strips of film to a film processor wherein only a slight force need be exerted on the control strip to remove it from the holder, and to such a holder which substantially avoids scratching of the control strip ash is withdrawn from the holder by the processor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder for a control strip of film wherein end portions of a film strip in the holder are'exposed for splicing of the strip ends customers film strips or to leaders without exposing intermediate portions of the control strip to light.

In accordance with the present invention a holder for a strip of film to be fed to a film processor includes an elongate space for the film strip. The holder includes a cover and means defining light-tight openings in spaced portions of the holder through which ends of the film strip can project for splicing of the film strip to leaders or other film strips. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, one end portion of the holder is generally in the shape of a standard film cartridge, such as a super 8 cartridge, so that the holder can be presented to a film processing apparatus specifically designed to receive such cartridges and process film contained in them.

The invention, and its objects and advantages, will become more apparent in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments presented below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention presented below, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a fragmentary elevation of a film processor of the type disclosed in the beforementioned copending patent application showing. a holder of this invention positioned in the processor;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partly exploded perspective view of a holder of this invention; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views taken along lines 33 and 4-4, respectively, of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Because apparatus used for processing film are well known, the present description will be directed in particular to elements forming part of, or cooperating more directly with, the present invention, apparatus not specifically shown or described herein being understood to be selectable from those known in the art.

Referring now to the drawings, a holder for control strips or the like of this invention is generally designated l0 and comprises an end portion 10a that is generally in the shape, of and the same size as a conventional super S'cartridge, and atail' or projeetingend portion 10b that extends rearwardly from end 10a. The holder includes an elongate body portion 12 and a cover portion 14 which jointly are intended to receive and enclose the central portion of a control strip of film F. The body and cover may be formed from suitable materials that are impervious to radiant energy, such as foam or plastic materials, for example. The cover can be dimensioned relative to the body so that it can be snapped onto the body, or it can be hinged to the body or made to slide longitudinally onto the body. The parlighttight after the cover is closed if the holder is to be furnished to a processor that operates under daylight conditions.

The body includes an elongate cavity or recess 16 intermediate its ends which opens to the top of the body and which is normally enclosed by the cover 14 when the cover is in its closed position. At one end of the cavity there is a pair of inwardly directed flanges 18a and 18b which face each other and are in spaced relation to each other. These flanges are spaced from a second pair of flanges 20 and 22 at the end of the holder portion a, the latter flanges being spaced from each other and from the flanges 18a, 18b. Positioned in a chamber defined by the two pairs of flanges are foam pads 24a and 24b which bear against the holder body and press lightly against two pads 26a and 26b of plush material. Pads 24, 26 preferably are secured together by an adhesive or by other suitable means. The film strip F is positioned in the holder so that it extends through cavity 16 and between pads 26a and 26b. A foam pad 28 is located on the inner surface of cover 14 so that it firmly bears against the upper surface of foam pads 24a and 24b and plush pads 26a and 26b. The close fitting relation between the various foam and plush pads and the film strip provides a light-tight opening for the film through the end 10a of the cartridge and excludes light from cavity 16 through that opening when the cover is in its closed position. In a similar manner the other end of the cartridge is made lighttight by flanges 30a, 30b, 32 and 34 defining a second chamber which receives foam pads 36a, 38a and plush pads 40a and 40b and by a foam pad 42 on the cover which bears against the foam and plush pads in the chamber between the flanges when the cover is in its closed position.

Flanges 20 and 22 may be closely adjacent but spaced from one end of the cartridge to define an opening 23 which is sufficiently large to bypass a cartridge sensor mechanism that may be used with apparatus of the type disclosed in the beforementioned copending patent application. The flanges 32 and 34 are spaced from the other end of the cartridge so that there is a flat extension 44 between the flanges 32, 34 and the adjacent end of the cartridge. This extension may be approximately 1 inch long in a preferred embodiment of the holder and provides a means for locating one end of the film strip when it is being inserted into the holder as described later.

As previously noted, the end portion of the holder designated 10a is generally in the shape of, and substantially the same size as, a conventional film catridge, such as a super 8 film cartridge. This permits the film strip holder to be presented to a cartridge-receiving nest in a film processor for film normally furnished in such film cartridges without modification of the processor itself. I

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3 a portion of a film processor is generally designated 50 and it may be of the type disclosed in the beforementioned copending application. The processor includes a nest 52 for receiving a super 8 cartridge or a holder of this invention. As illustrated in the drawings, the nest comprises a generally channel-shaped lower member 52a that is secured to a wall 54 of the processor, and a lid portion 52b that is hinged to wall 54. A cartridge or a holder of the invention is inserted into the nest 52, and it is held in place until film is removed from the cartridge or holder into a work area generally designated 56, the latter being in a compartment which can be closed in a light-tight manner by closing a door 58. For the purpose of this description, it is sufficient to state that when a cartridge or holder is placed in the nest and the door is open, the end portion of the film to be furnished to the processor is spliced to the trailing end portion of another film strip designated F (or to a leader) by any suitable splicing device, such as an eyelet splicer that leaves an eyelet 60 between the film strips. In a similar manner the trailing end portion of the control strip F is spliced to a leader L by a staple, eyelet or other suitable splicing means shown at 62. Then door 58 is closed and the film in the cartridge or the holder is pulled through work station 56 until a sensor (not shown) detects the trailing end of the leader L and stops a film drive of the processor. Then the cartridge or holder in the nest is removed, the door 58 is opened, and another film cartridge or holder can be placed in nest 52.

In order to load film into the holder of the invention, it is placed in a dark room or chamber and a film roll containing a plurality of process control strips is opened. One exposure length of the control strip (about 15 inches long, for example), is torn from the roll. The measuring of the control strip is facilitated by providing notches between adjacent control strips on the roll. Then the holder is opened by removing cover 14 and the control strip is inserted into the body portion 12 by forcing the film strip edgewise between plush pads 26a, 26b and 40a, 40b. The protruding or trailing end of the control strip is positioned so that it is substantially at the end of extension 44 of the cartridge. The length of the holder relative to the control strip is such that when the trailing end of the strip is at the end of extension 44, the sensitometric exposure on the strip is located within the light-tight chamber or cavity 16 of the holder and the leading end of the control strip projects from flanges 20, 22 by a sufficient distance to permit making splice 60 in the film processor. After the control strip is properly located in the holder the light-tight cover is again closed. The holder now can be removed from the dark room since the sensitometric portion is within space 16 which is lighttight. The control strip then can be fed to the processor in the manner previously described, and the holder can be reloaded in a dark room for furnishing another control strip to the processor.

Because the end portion 10a of the holder is shaped to conform to the shape of a conventional film cartridge, the holder can be presented to a film processor adapted to receive such cartridges without modification of the processor itself. Also, the slight pressure exerted on the film by the holder pads permits the control strip to be pulled from the holder by the application of very little force on the leading end of the strip. Also, the plush pads effectively prevent any substantial scratching of the control strip by the holder, such being desirable-since excessive scratching could effect densitometric readings made after processing of the control strip.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. A holder for supplying a control strip of film to a film processor having a nest for receiving conventional film cartridges containing exposed film that is supplied directly through a cartridge opening to the processor,

the holder comprising an elongate body portion and an attachable cover portion, said body portion having means defining an elongate cavity for receiving a control strip of film or the like, the cover portion being movable with respect to said body portion between (1) an open position wherein the cavity in said body portion is accessible for loading a control strip of film into the cavity and (2) a closed position wherein the cover portion engages the body portion to enclose the cavity and exclude light therefrom, one end portion of said holdcr including adapting means for adapting the holder for partial insertion into the nest of such a processor so that the control strip of film can be furnished to the processor, said adapting means being generally in the shape of and substantially the same size as a portion of a conventional film cartridge of the type which is receivable by the processor, said adapting means including means defining a light tight opening, communicating with the cavity, through which an end portion of the control film strip can project outwardly of the holder, said opening defining means being located in said adapting means so that, upon insertion of said adapting means into the nest, the film can be furnished directly to the processor and withdrawn from the holder through the opening.

2. A holder according to claiml additionally including a light tight opening, located in the other end portion of the holder and communicating with said cavity,

through which the control film strip may extend.

3. A holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means defining a light-tight opening in said adapting means comprises means defining an opening in said adapting means, a pair of pads of soft material between which the film can pass as it is withdrawn from the holder, means in the holder urging said pads toward each other and into engagement with a strip of film therebetween, and means on said body portion for holding said pads at the opening in said adapting means.

4. A holder as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a pad of resilient material positioned on said cover portion and engageable with said pads of soft material in the body portion when the cover portion is in its closed position.

5. A holdcr as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means defining a light-tight opening in said other end portion of the holder comprises means defining an opening in said other end portion of the holder, a second pair of pads of soft material between which the film can pass as it is withdrawn from the holder, means in the holder urging said second pair of pads toward each other and toward a strip of film therebetween, and means on said body portion for holding said second pair of pads at the opening in said other end of the holder.

6. A holder as set forth in claim 5 further comprising a second pad of resilient material positioned on said cover portion and engageable with said second pair of pads of soft material in the body portion when the cover portion is in its closed position. 

1. A holder for supplying a control strip of film to a film processor having a nest for receiving conventional film cartridges containing exposed film that is supplied directly through a cartridge opening to the processor, the holder comprising an elongate body portion and an attachable cover portion, said body portion having means defining an elongate cavity for receiving a control strip of film or the like, the cover portion being movable with respect to said body portion between (1) an open position wherein the cavity in said body portion is accessible for loading a control strip of film into the cavity and (2) a closed position wherein the cover portion engages the body portion to enclose the cavity and exclude light therefrom, one end portion of said holder including adapting means for adapting the holder for partial insertion into the nest of such a processor so that the control strip of film can be furnished to the processor, said adapting means being generally in the shape oF and substantially the same size as a portion of a conventional film cartridge of the type which is receivable by the processor, said adapting means including means defining a light tight opening, communicating with the cavity, through which an end portion of the control film strip can project outwardly of the holder, said opening defining means being located in said adapting means so that, upon insertion of said adapting means into the nest, the film can be furnished directly to the processor and withdrawn from the holder through the opening.
 2. A holder according to claim 1 additionally including a light tight opening, located in the other end portion of the holder and communicating with said cavity, through which the control film strip may extend.
 3. A holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means defining a light-tight opening in said adapting means comprises means defining an opening in said adapting means, a pair of pads of soft material between which the film can pass as it is withdrawn from the holder, means in the holder urging said pads toward each other and into engagement with a strip of film therebetween, and means on said body portion for holding said pads at the opening in said adapting means.
 4. A holder as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a pad of resilient material positioned on said cover portion and engageable with said pads of soft material in the body portion when the cover portion is in its closed position.
 5. A holder as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means defining a light-tight opening in said other end portion of the holder comprises means defining an opening in said other end portion of the holder, a second pair of pads of soft material between which the film can pass as it is withdrawn from the holder, means in the holder urging said second pair of pads toward each other and toward a strip of film therebetween, and means on said body portion for holding said second pair of pads at the opening in said other end of the holder.
 6. A holder as set forth in claim 5 further comprising a second pad of resilient material positioned on said cover portion and engageable with said second pair of pads of soft material in the body portion when the cover portion is in its closed position. 